Our Staff
Kathleen has worked with children for over 30 years as a care provider, counselor and in association with visual arts and music.
Kathleen has worked with children for over 30 years as a care provider, counselor and in association with visual arts and music. She has an LCMHC from the State of Vermont, an MA in Art Therapy, MA in Fine Arts and a certification to teach art in K-12th grades. Kathleen is also a registered Music Together teacher, a research-based early childhood development program that provides the foundation for music education to infants through kindergarten aged children.
Kathleen established Purple Crayon Productions in 2003 with art and music programs for infants to children in early elementary grades. In 2007 she expanded Purple Crayon's art programs to the rest of the community including seniors, after school children and special needs populations. Together with a growing staff and a new permanent facility completed in 2013 Kathleen guided Purple Crayon into a home for theater, music, movement, ceramics, gallery exhibits, outreach, concerts and more. The organization was renamed Artistree Community Arts Center in 2010.
Kathleen has a counseling practice for children and adults on site at Artistree. She remains a part time instructor for children and adults.
Specializing in Vibraphone and Percussion, Mark has a BFA in Music Performance and Composition.
Mark van Gulden, the music director at Artistree, is a free lance musician living in Barnard and working throughout the state and Northeast. Specializing in Vibraphone and Percussion, Mark has a BFA in Music Performance and Composition from Johnson State College.
Mark has worked in Vermont as a freelance musician for many years, playing concerts and club dates, as well as his involvement with many recording projects. Mark is happy to be able to develop an exciting, vibrant, and accessible Music program for the Woodstock community.
You can reach Mark via email at music@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x119.
Fiona joined Artistree in 2012, establishing a small but flourishing clay program. She is also an active part of the art outreach team and instructs all ages in drawing.
Fiona grew up in in many parts of Great Britain and attended Chiltern NTC, in Berkshire, majoring in early childhood development. After several years of living and working in London, she and her husband moved to Boston and then settled in Vermont in 1988.
Always a maker, she had the opportunity to pursue an apprenticeship with Miranda Thomas, following Miranda from Quechee to a larger studio in Bridgewater, VT.
Fiona joined Artistree in 2012, establishing a small but flourishing clay program. She is an active part of the the art outreach team and instructs all ages in drawing.
She feels that being in an artistically absorbing and wildly creative environment is fabulous!
You can contact Fiona at ceramics@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 114.
Over the last 15 years, Sheena has designed, instructed and optimized programming for nonprofits and museums in the San Antonio, TX area.
Sheena Solitaire, Associate Director of Programming, is a recent transplant from Texas and is excited to develop great arts programming for the Upper Valley at Artistree!
Sheena has a BA in Painting and Art History from Austin College in Sherman, TX and received her MA from The University of Texas at Austin in Art Education focused on museums and community based arts programs. Over the last 15 years, she has designed, instructed and optimized programming for nonprofits and museums including The McNay Art Museum and The DoSeum, San Antonio's interactive childrens' museum.
Sheena is a mom to two elementary aged kids and spends her spare time learning from podcasts and audiobooks, getting outside and playing with her family. She is excited to learn more from the community here in Vermont to grow engaging programming!
She can be reached at programming@artistreevt.org.
Marie holds a BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida.
Marie was born and raised in the Woodstock/Pomfret community and returned to the Upper Valley after completing her BFA at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. She has a life long love of art and design and their combined ability to reach people on a deep emotional level.
She has worked at Simon Pearce and was part of the founding team of Green Mountain Digital. As Creative Director and Chief Designer at GMD, Marie was the lead designer for 35 Audubon branded authoritative field guide series of mobile apps for smart devices that have been downloaded on multiple mobile platforms. She was also responsible for the design and user interface of Yonder, the app for outdoor enthusiasts.
She and her family live just up the road from Artistree and she is completely delighted to be part of this amazing place.
You can reach Marie via email at communications@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 129.
Karen holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Karen fell in love with art as a child, but it is her experience working at Artistree since 2015 that has made her fall in love with nonprofits. She won awards for visual art, music, and theater in high school and college, and later received The Field Program in European Studies grant from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to study art and culture in northern Spain and complete a master's degree in anthropology. Today, with a background in public education and an Ed.D., Karen is passionate about bringing arts experiences to kids, families, and adults in our community through grants and fundraising. She is thrilled she gets to spend her time at Artistree keeping the Upper Valley an amazing place to live.
To reach Karen please email development@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 ext. 115.
Robert has an MBA in finance from Rutgers and an MA in French literature from Yale.
Robert has more than 20 years of finance experience in a variety of settings, from global operations for a Fortune 500 enterprise to day-to-day financial management of a small business. He is thrilled to be part of the Artistree community and to help support its mission of making the arts part of the fabric of the community. He believes that spreadsheets can also be beautiful.
Originally from New Jersey, Robert lives in Randolph with his wife Stacey, two cats, and a barn full of old books.
You can reach Robert via email at finance@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 126.
Abbie is an actor who grew up in Woodstock and has worked with various theatre companies around the Upper Valley and performed at various theatres in London.
She has a BA in Theatre Performance and French from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR and received her MFA in Acting from East 15 Acting School in London, England. She spent nearly 10 years working at Tranquillity Camp in upstate New York as their Head of Theatre and working as a camp counsellor. She has loved theatre from a young age and is excited to join the team at Artistree!
You can reach Abbie at theatre-educator@artistreevt.org
Azusa is passionate about delivering the absolute best customer experience and loves problem solving and organizing.
Azusa Mihara comes to Artistree after an exemplary twenty-year employment at the five-star resort Twin Farms in Barnard, Vermont. She is passionate about delivering the absolute best customer experience and loves problem solving and organizing.
Azusa is excited to continue expanding her skills working at Artistree Community Art Center in the Gallery and supporting the goals of artists and her co-workers is paramount to her. In addition, Azusa also enjoys teaching Japanese cooking and language classes at Artistree. Creating and exploring the warm and sweet conversations with loved ones through cooking.
You can reach Azusa via email at gallery@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 117.
Deborah Goodwin has a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from Denison University, where she also studied art history and worked in the college gallery. After college she began working in the fashion industry, first in display and retail management, then as a buyer, and finally as a successful designer and manufacturer. Upon moving to Vermont in 2007, she resumed working as an artist, making soft sculpture pillows and hand-built ceramics.
In 2019, after 5 years of producing her ceramics during Artistree's open studios and teaching a workshop or two, Deborah joined the Artistree staff as Exhibits Coordinator. She enthusiastically develops and installs exhibits that share the fantastic talents of our area's artists with the community.
You can reach Deborah via email at exhibits@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 117.
Born and raised in Vermont, F. Steven Holt currently serves as the Facilities Director, bringing his keen insight and dedicated leadership to the role. Passionate about creating and maintaining welcoming spaces, Steven is the go-to person for all facility-related inquiries. If you need to get in touch with him, you can email him at property@artistreevt.org
Lisa Kaija is an educator at heart who enjoys designing art projects for all ages, integrating the arts with other disciplines and getting creative whenever possible.
After hanging out with my family, teaching and being creative, my favorite pastimes are hiking and biking. In July 2018, I summited Mt. Whitney (14,494') and hiked the John Muir Trail (~250 miles) in the Sierra Nevada. I particularly enjoy winter hiking, climbing up peaks in the White Mountains in deep snow and sliding down. This summer I bought a gravel bike so that I could participate in some of the many gravel events around Vermont, one of which is organized by my daughter, Gretchen, and her husband, Ian, in Peacham, Vermont.
My husband, Kevin, and I are pretty absorbed by projects on the family homestead--gardening, picking berries, freezing and preserving, cooking and baking, sewing, renovating and maintaining an old farmhouse and cleaning out the barns (again?!). Whenever possible, I like to travel to see our kids around the country, look at art in Europe or relax on an island somewhere.
You can reach Lisa via email at art-educator@artistreevt.org
Finnie Trimpi, Outreach Coordinator at Artistree, enjoys working with all mediums and encouraging artists of all abilities and ages to be creative.
Finnie Trimpi, Outreach Coordinator at Artistree, enjoys working with all mediums and encouraging artists of all abilities and ages to be creative. Finnie holds a BS in Art Education from the University of Vermont. She has spent most of her professional life in public and private classrooms teaching art in elementary schools and non-profit art centers on Nantucket and in Vermont.
As Outreach Coordinator, Finnie enjoys helping the dynamic and full programming spread to populations that cannot come to our campus. Find her watching her kids sporting events, theatrical endeavors, taxiing between activities and out and about in the Upper Valley – she’s happy to chat art, teaching, fun and adventure!
You can reach Finnie at outreach@artistreevt.org or call 802-457-3500 x 113.
Angie is happy to be working with an organization that brings the arts into the community and encourages and promotes the creativity in all of us.
Originally from California. Mom to 2 daughters, proud grandmother to 3 granddaughters and 2 grandsons. Love hanging out with my fuzzbutts. 2 small dogs and my cat.
You can contact Angie by email at attendant@artistreevt.org.
Matthew Robert is pleased to have accepted a position as the new Theatrical Artistic Director here at Artistree.
Matthew is also the co-founder and Creative Director for Firefly Landing Designs; a New England based theatrical design, fabrication, and events company. Matthew has worked with a variety of educational programs and professional production companies as an Artistic Director, musician, Technical Director and Designer including projects with Arlekin Players, Broken Leg Productions, Inter-lakes Regional Summer Theater, Speakeasy Stage Company and BarnArts. Matthew holds a MA in Theater from Emerson College and works to bring socially aware, professional level arts to communities and public programs across New England. Matthew is also the Artistic Director/Technical Director for Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, VT. He enjoys singing, making puppets and spending time with his family.
You can contact Matthew by email at theatre@artistreevt.org.
Emma Murray, a graduate of the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton (2008) and the University of Vermont (2012), holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education. With a passion for creativity and nature, Emma is renowned as an award-winning floral designer, celebrated for her ability to infuse her work with the beauty of the seasons and landscapes.
At Artistree, Emma serves as the Events Coordinator, bringing her expertise in organizing and executing a wide range of events. From scheduling private events to planning the diverse array of activities throughout the year, Emma ensures that every event is a seamless and memorable experience for all.
Beyond her role at Artistree, Emma finds joy in painting and drawing, cherishing moments outdoors with her husband and two dogs. An avid skier and yoga enthusiast, Emma embodies a love for both the arts and the natural world, making her a perfect fit for the Artistree community.
You can reach Emma by email at events@artistreevt.org